TYNV - Chapter 159

(159) In the meantime (5)

Cyrus' words caused a stir among the people.

The Northern Lord is joking. But is the Northern Lord joking? He can't possibly be. If that's true, does he really need permission from the gods to greet the Princess of the East? After all, even when she was called a saint, she didn't object in the temple.

Harold didn't like the atmosphere he was in. He felt pushed around.

“I don’t want to pray to God just to greet the Princess of the East, so you can pray, Northern Lord.”

Then he waited for a response, but there was no response.

Cyrus nodded and approached Geor, and the Whites didn't protest angrily. Only after they dismissed Harold and returned to their own conversation did Harold realize he had lost.

Annoyed by Geor and Cyrus's attitude, he let his feelings out. People glanced at Harold and whispered.

'What are you talking about!'

He barely suppressed the urge to scream, but then he spotted Victoria staring intently from afar.

'Damn it. Victoria was watching.'

He was caught in an awkward position. Harold walked toward Victoria, struggling to figure out how to make an excuse.

Even as Harold drew near, Victoria's expression remained unchanged. A flash of irritation welled up in him, but he suppressed it and stood before Victoria.

“Princess.”

Even though he called out to her gently and reached out his hand, Victoria merely nodded her head and did not take his hand.

“Victoria.”

As he called out again, almost as if to urge her on, she whispered something to the maid next to her. The maid rolled her eyes, embarrassed, and then spoke cautiously.

“If you want to greet our Princess, you must ask permission from the gods.”

The maid's voice was small, but it was audible to those nearby. A few people stifled laughter, causing Harold's face to flush.

Is this crazy?

Victoria was following Ariana, oblivious to how ridiculous it was.

Some of the taunts are now being directed at Victoria. Victoria, the daughter of the Duke of Western clan, was not worthy of being imitated by Ariana, the Princess of the East.

But Victoria didn't seem to know that, as she looked away and pursed her lips.

Harold looked back without realizing it.

In the distance, Cyrus and Geor stood facing each other in prayer.

He was amazed.

The Eastern Little Lord, who seems to have lost his mind, the Northern Lord, who seems to be going crazy with him, and Victoria, who is jealous of them all.

The Eastern Little Lord and Northern lord would not be the butt of much ridicule even if they did something crazy because they had status, but Victoria should not have done that.

'I thought you were at least smart... '

This is useless.

“Useless bitch...”

Victoria raised her eyebrows as if she had overheard the muttered words.

"What did you say?"

“No, nothing. You’re finally pretending to know.”

Victoria glared at Harold. He raised both hands slightly and spoke with an elegant yet playful tone.

"It seems you're in a bad mood. Let's say hello later, Princess. I don't feel like meeting anyone today, even if it means praying to God."

Victoria clenched her fists as she watched Harold turn to someone else. She noticed the nearby young ladies glancing at her and whispering among themselves.

Only then did Victoria realize what a fool she had been.

She lost her temper with jealousy at the sight of Harold and the Northern Lord desperately trying to get a word in with Ariana. That shouldn't have happened. She should have acted with more dignity.

Geor and Cyrus were still praying. The sight of these two tall men praying earnestly was like a painting.

The people watching the scene must have been thinking the same thing, judging by the lack of mockery in their gazes.

'If I had known this would happen, I would have eaten a heart today.'

Maltina told her to refrain from using her blood powers until the palace party. She told her that doing so would make a more impactful impression, so she just left today.

Even though she dressed up well enough to get everyone's attention, she couldn't beat Ariana.

Ariana, wearing a sparkling dress, was surrounded by men of the highest and lowest ranks in the room.

'Why is the Northern Lord so obsessed with Ariana? Could it be that he really likes Ariana? But... what about those days in the Northern Territory? He was so kind to me. He was so gentle and affectionate.'

Was that so?

Victoria recalled the events in the North. Cyrus had been kind to Victoria.

'No. It was Little Duke Andrei Hern who was kind to me, not the Northern Lord. The Northern Lord...'

He rarely spoke directly to Victoria.

'He did smile occasionally, though.'

It was different from what was being done in front of Ariana now.

Finally granted permission to meet Ariana, Cyrus greeted her with a dizzyingly affectionate smile. It was a smile so sweet that anyone could tell he was in love.

He was a man who knew how to smile like that.

'You used me!'

Only then did it occur to me that the Northern Lord had suffered no loss whatsoever from his investment in perfume.

'You used me to get my grandfather into investing in perfume!'

Strength drained from her, and her knees almost buckled.

Just then, Ariana's eyes met Victoria as she turned her head in her direction. A soft smile spread across Ariana's lips.

The moment Victoria saw it, she felt transported back in time. Back to that moment when she was being arrested by the chief investigator, back to that moment when she saw Ariana's smile in that desperate situation.

Unspeakable rage clouded her mind. Victoria almost forgot where she was and ran towards Ariana. She nearly tore at her unsightly hair and scratched her face.

“Victoria, it’s been a while.”

If it weren't for the voice coming from behind her, she really would have done so.

Turning around, she saw a woman with brown hair and dark eyes standing there, holding a parasol. Victoria barely suppressed her anger and smiled.

"Sister Helena, it's been a long time. I didn't know you'd be coming to the Empire this social season."

"That's right. My husband's completely ruined, so it's hard for us to even come here. We can't afford a mansion in the capital, so we're barely staying at a single inn outside."

“Oh, my. If you had told me in advance, I would have helped you.”

“Yes. I don’t want to keep receiving help from my parents.”

Victoria quickly scanned Helena's attire.

Helena's dress was luxurious, but out of style. The jewelry she was wearing was something Rachel had sent her when she got married.

It made her feel a little better to see Helena, once the most beloved of the Brontes, unable to afford a single fashionable dress.

“Sister, Ariana is over there. Did you say hello?”

"No."

"Then go and call her. Let's have a nice, affectionate conversation among sisters for the first time in a while."

“Why me?”

Helena stared at Victoria.

“If you want to say hello, go and do it yourself. Why are you asking me to do it?”

Victoria thought Helena was a bit discouraged because of her husband, who had completely ruined her, but Helena was still the same self-willed person she had been as a Princess.

“No, I’m not asking you to do it... It’s just that you were closer to Ariana.”

"What did I do? You were the one who treated Ariana well. As for me... that's enough. A Viscountess from a ruined family doesn't deserve to greet the Princess of the East."

"Hey, sis. Why are you talking like that? No matter what our status is, we're family."

"Family..."

Helena twisted the corners of her lips.

"Well, I don't know. You really haven't changed, Victoria."

"What?"

"You're so beloved by your grandfather. Even if you just sit still, he'll find a good groom for you."

Of course, the Lord of the West found a groom for Victoria, the Third Prince. But the Third Prince wasn't enough. The Lord of the West and Victoria were aiming for something even higher.

To achieve this, Victoria had to give up a lot. She was annoyed by Helena, who kept talking nonsense about selling things without even knowing it.

"Sister, I'm trying my best. I'm doing hard things you don't know about."

"So, nothing's changed. You could be happy just sitting still, so why keep trying and ruining things?"

"What do you know, Sister? You're living on the outskirts of the Weet, and you can't even afford a decent set of clothes."

Despite the stinging words, Helena's expression remained unchanged. Only then did Victoria realize that Helena had changed significantly.

Helena said with a sad smile.

"Yeah. I don't know what you're talking about in my topic. But as your older sister, if I may offer you one piece of advice..."

“Yes. Just take care of yourself.”

Victoria turned around and walked away. Helena watched her sister walk away, whispering the words she had been unable to say.

"Don't do anything, Victoria. If you don't attack anyone, no one will attack you."

***

Ariana was dumbfounded.

It was puzzling that Cyrus suddenly appeared, but since he was praying seriously with Geor, she couldn't understand what he was doing.

Averaster, Wiona, and Isabelle seemed taken aback by the sight of the two men praying earnestly. Wiona leaned closer to Ariana and whispered softly.

"Was the Northern Lord really that kind of person? He seems no different from my brother..."

Isabelle whispered too.

"The Northern  Lord was also like Geor? Why is he like that? I don't think he was like that before."

Averaster narrowed his eyes and muttered.

“There’s no way God would allow it.”

Ariana couldn't respond to all of that.

It was just a few days ago that she resolutely pushed Cyrus away. She even shed tears that day.

-“So, Northern Lord, don’t draw our future. Anything you draw will be meaningless.”

The expression on Cyrus' face the moment she said those words is still vivid. It was as if he had lost the world, as if the sky had fallen, a look of despair and brokenness.

Just like that, she thought the path that had connected them had been shattered. She thought they would never again see each other face-to-face, never again exchange plans for the future as before. That was the end.

So she cried.

Because the time she had with him was so good, she had to let go of that good thing so she wouldn't be hurt anymore.

'However...'

It's only been a few days now.

'What the hell is this?'

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